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ID:ENTITY is a group exhibition which explores the complex relationship between the “self” and the world. Digital technologies are radically altering the traditional ways in which we relate to each other, our social spaces, and even ourselves. New generations bring about changing paradigms for communication, learning and interaction. The boundaries of our modern lives are collapsing. The protection of our identities, the transparency of our digital reputations, and the manifestation of radical and shifting digital evolutions provoke these artists to engage in a highly technical, visual dialogue that includes: interactive surfaces, Microsoft Kinect™ technology, and dynamic digital wall projections. Artists featured in ID:ENTITY use a wide range of cutting-edge software technologies to create interactive imagery and inspiring environments that engage viewers with sensory experiences.

David Gruber, David M Rieder, Tunnel Vision, 2011 Digital interactive

David Gruber and David Rieder’s Tunnel Vision, a cybertextual interpretation of Mark Strand’s poem, The Tunnel. Strand’s poem dramatizes the fear and loathing that we feel as we confront a sense of the outsider within us. Gruber and Rieder’s interpretation of Strand’s poem uses a webcam with motion-tracking software to extend and allegorize the connection that a user feels with the technologized and externalized projection of the self on the screen¬¬–a self that is inextricably linked to the words from Strand’s poem. The work is a contribution to a type of experimental writing known as cybertext. Strand’s poem and a scholarly essay about their work will be displayed alongside this interactive work.

Marc Russo, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Silence, Decay, Consumption, Death 2011

One featured work in ID:ENTITY that exemplifies the experimental dynamic nature of the exhibition is a four-screen installation by Marc Russo depicting The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In Russo’s re-imagining, the first horseman, Silence, prevents communication and censors thoughts and expression. Silence results in the second sign: Decay. The next sign is Consumption, relating to the mass consumption of our resources, which ultimately leads to our Death.

According to John, the author of the Book of Revelation, there will be seven signs that come before the Apocalypse and God’s judgment. The first four signs will be brought to the earth by mounted warriors, creatures known classically as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Conquest, War, Famine, and Death. I believe John was concerned by the events happening when he penned the last chapter of the Bible, and Revelation is his warning to us: if we continue with our evil conquests and wars, this will lead to a plague of famine and, ultimately, death.

The Four Horsemen have been depicted artistically many times since they were introduced during the 1st Century AD. Examples are found in medieval illuminated texts, and the creatures were famously illustrated in Albrecht Dürer’s woodcut in the 15th Century. In popular culture, the Four Horsemen have been reinterpreted in graphic novels, digital illustrations, music, literature, and film. The works vary in viewpoint, focus, details, and treatment of the story and characters.

I believe the signs of the Apocalypse will be smaller and more subtle than the catastrophic ones John predicted. In my re-imagining, The First Horseman, Silence, prevents us from communicating with each other and censors our thoughts and expression. In this way, silence has a direct effect on our memory. If we do not communicate, we cannot remember our past and learn from our mistakes. Our silence will then result in the second sign: Decay. This decay will be the disintegration of our social order and the material things that represent it. By ignoring the decay of our world, we are ignoring time – Nature’s singular tool to warn us of our impending turning point. The next sign will be our voracious Consumption of our resources as we build around the ruins of our past. As we continue to consume and multiply, we are literally eating and destroying the earth from under our feet. It is impossible to forecast what mutations this will spawn; however, it is my belief that Mother Nature will defend herself, which will ultimately lead to our Death.

For ages, artists have used the art form that they felt would best update the Four Horsemen. This installation is intended to continue in this tradition. By depicting them in video, I hope to link my project to a lineage of important art that spans a millennium and to reevaluate the idea of the Four Horsemen for the 21st Century.

Please Be Advised… is an audio installation exploring the pervasiveness of our active online lives and how it defines our identity. The nature of the room, along with the authoritative character of “The Announcer”, creates an ideal soundspace for the public service announcement of our contemporary era.